COE Update: Week of February 13

It is difficult to believe that we are already approaching the conclusion of another winter term. Is it possible that the earth is rotating more rapidly than in the past, or are we all just getting busier?

I know that each of you are fully engaged, but it will be useful for all of us to take a few minutes to review the content below, especially the material pertaining to Elevate Louisiana and ACT 619.

2017 Spring Forum - Commissioner of Education Rallo

Two-day Higher Education Forum Hosted by Commissioner Rallo

The two-day event focused on elements associated with Student Affairs (Day 1) and the current state of higher education in Louisiana with emphasis given to innovative practices to Elevate Louisiana (Day  2). Links to Spring Forum 2017 materials and resources are provided below.

Spring 2017 Forum
February 1st - Day One Agenda
February 2nd - Day Two Agenda

ACT 619
Among the topics presented and discussed during Spring Forum 2017 was ACT 619 and the Board of Regents Response to the legislation. It is and will continue to be important for us to be informed on this topic and to use our knowledge to inform our strategic planning and implementation. While the changes occurring in Higher Education may be perceived as the onset of increasing difficulties, my personal preference would be to hearken to the wisdom of Winston Churchill, "[A] pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." To begin the process of seizing the opportunities afforded by Elevate Louisiana, please use the links below to become familiar with its elements.

ACT 619
Board of Regents Response to ACT 619
Resources Referenced in the BoR Response


NOTE: I asked Ms. Susana Schowen, Director of Workforce and Mr. Sachin Chintawar, Director of Research and Data, of the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) to visit with us to present on the powerful resources the LWC can make available to us. More to come...
Louisiana Economic Development

Board of Regents Data and  Dashboard
The links below provide access to additional data resources available through the Board of Regents.
Data and Publications - Includes reports on Enrollment, Student Credit Hours, Completers, etc.
Data Dashboard -  Provides access to data associated with the Grad Act, Master Plan, and Institutional Characteristics. 

Tree Update

Shumard Oak

The planting of new trees, Shumard Oaks, has begun along Mayfield Avenue. They grow to a height of 50-70 ft. with a crown spread of 40-60 ft., have great fall colors and are tolerant to drought.  I am looking forward seeing them grow and to the planting of new trees in the barren area south of Woodard Hall.

Who's Who
On January 30 I had the privilege of  sharing some encouraging words of recognition during the Who's Who Among Student in American Universities and Colleges banquet held at the Davison Athletic Complex. The following College of Education students were recognized.
Alexandria Feaster - Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership
Brooklyn Robinson - Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership

Strategic Planning and Implementation Committees
Thank you to the 34 members of the faculty and staff who responded to the SPIC Survey. I need to follow up with a couple of respondents who only ranked one item. For example, one respondent selected only his/her third favorite item :) . The chart below provides a summary of the responses. I will place a priority on grouping each of you in a committee reflective of one of your top two selections.

Congratulations!

• Dr. Joanne Hood, director of A. E. Phillips Laboratory School at Louisiana Tech University, has been elected to serve as the State of Louisiana’s representative with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP).
• Recently, the Science and Technology Education Center (SciTEC) coordinated the submission of nine LaSIP proposals through La Tech. That is a record number and far exceeds the number submitted by any other institution. The proposals demonstrated our commitment to interdisciplinary partnerships between our college and colleagues from multiple colleges on our campus. Each of the departments within the college were represented and instrumental in the submissions. Congratulations to all of you who participated in that outstanding process. Well done! Now, we'll keep our fingers crossed as we await the results of the proposals. 

Upcoming Events - Hosted by the COE

• Region VI, VII, and VIII School Superintendents Meeting: Feb. 14, TAC - Waggoner Rm
• Regional Autonomous Robotics Contest: Feb. 18, La Tech Student Center
• Spelling Bee: March 11, Howard Auditorium
  
• State of the College: Please plan to attend the midyear State of the College message on the morning of March 10 at 10:30 AM. It will also be a time to celebrate some of the accomplishments of the college. More to follow soon...

Thank you!
Thanks to each of you for the excellent work you do, your dedication to the students we serve, and your commitment to furthering the high standards of your profession.

As always, feedback is invited and welcome, and please send items to include in the congratulations section of the update.
Don

COE Update - January 17, 2017

Greetings on this Terrific Tuesday. I hope each of you enjoyed a relaxing and refreshing weekend and took some time to reflect on the extraordinary life of a man whose inspirational actions and words ring just as true now as they did during his lifetime. I imagine most, if not all of you have read one of his seminal works, Letters From a Birmingham Jail, but if not or you wish to refresh your memory, the link below connects to an image of the original document and an audio version of Dr. King delivering this powerful message. 

https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/letter-birmingham-jail 

It is my intention, beginning with this post, to provide timely and brief updates regarding the events, policies and legislation affecting our college. Please take a few minutes to read the items below and do not hesitate to provide suggestions as to future items to include.

Trees
The removal of trees from around Woodard Hall is the result of the implementation of the University's Tree Management Plan, which includes the planting of around 140 replacement and new trees. The trees, being planted within the next few weeks, should eventually provide additional shade during the hottest months, allow for the growth of grass in the currently barren areas, and exhibit diminished root growth that disturbs the concrete pathways, permitting safer foot traffic around campus. Additionally, an arboretum is planned for the area between Woodard Hall and the parking area servicing the band building and A.E. Phillips.

Dawgs with a Cause

COE Clinical Residents and La Tech Basketball Team Players and Staff

The Clinical Residency Center, a service and research center housed in Woodard Hall, provides training and support to clinical residents completing full-year internships in K-12 educational environments. In addition to being the first full-year clinical residency program in the state and one of the first in the nation, the residents have partnered with Tech athletics to implement a reading and character development program in area elementary schools. Recent, national media coverage (Washington Times, Miami Herald, others) of Dogs with a Cause resulted in an approximate $30,000 value to our college.

Student Travel Fund
$10,000 has been set aside to support student travel to college related events. The process for assigning and distributing these funds will be determined by a currently unidentified committee. More to come...

Search Updates
KINE and PBS are nearing the completion of searches for a combined five new faculty members. In general, both departments have been impressed by the applicant pool. I am very grateful to the committee members and the chairs for their demonstrated professionalism and organizational skills during this very important process.  More news to follow...

College Committees
To achieve the priorities set forth in our COE strategic plan, I will be announcing the formation of committees associated with the six themes delineated in the plan. As a reminder, the six strategic themes are listed below:
1. Scholarship: Expand and enhance the professional body of knowledge;
2. Enrollment: Recruit and retain high quality students;
3. Quality Personnel: Recruit and retain high quality faculty and staff;
4. Impact: Maximize workforce and economic development;
5. Elevate prestige and national prominence; and
6. Operations: Improve facilities and infrastructure

Please contact me if you have an interest in serving on any of the committees.

Louisiana Tech's SciTec Center; Home Grown Science Fun!
As many of you are aware, our own Lindsey Keith-Vincent appears weekly, usually with students from a local school, on KTVE's morning show. The link below accesses one of the recent shows.
http://www.myarklamiss.com/community/louisiana-tec...

Qualtrics
In recognition of the need for a college-wide mechanism to collect, organize, and analyze survey data, we are collaborating with the College of Business to negotiate a joint subscription with Qualtrics. Stay tuned...

Kinesiology Announcement
Most likely you are aware that Dr. Dornier recently stepped down as chair of the Department of Kinesiology. It has been a privilege to co-labor with Lanie, and I know that all of you will join me in thanking her for her 10 years of dedicated leadership to the college and her department. I am very pleased to announce that Dr. David Szymanski has accepted the position of interim chair of the department, and I am excited about the energy and leadership he will provide as the Department, the College, and the University strive to meet the needs of students and faculty while progressing towards increased national and international prominence.

Congratulations!

• AEP Ranks in Top 25 in the State 
• External Funding 
  
• Submitted - Teacher Preparation Residencies Support Needs Request
  - Louisiana Department of Education, $160,640
  - A. Vessel (PI), D. Basinger, B. McCoy, L. Keith-Vincent
• Awarded - Louisiana Center for Afterschool Learning (LACAL),
  - Louisiana Department of Education, $225,000
  - Lindsey Keith-Vincent
• Fall Doctoral Graduates - Thanks to Drs. Basinger, Desselles, Sheets, and Young for their expertise and dedication demonstrated by leading four candidates to earn their doctoral degrees. 

State of the College 
I am planning to deliver a State of the College message on either early afternoon of Feb. 23 or late morning of Feb. 24. It will also be a time to celebrate some of the accomplishments of the college. More to follow soon...

Thank you. Feedback is always invited and welcome.
Don